Jordan Peele is rebooting horror prank show Scare Tactics

Trust Jordan Peele to make the television landscape a little bit spookier. Following his reboot of The Twilight Zone, Peele’s production company Monkeypaw has now turned its attention to Scare Tactics. The hidden camera horror-comedy prank show previously aired on SyFy (at the time, the Sci-Fi Channel). This new iteration will move over to another NBCUniversal channel, USA Network, under the supervision of Universal Television Alternative Studio, Monkeypaw Productions, and WMTI Productions, Inc, per Variety.

Scare Tactics ​​“will turn unsuspecting individuals into the main characters of their very own horror movies,” according to a synopsis. “This heart-pounding show offers a cinematic approach to the hidden camera concept. Set up by their friends and family, these unwitting participants are put in hilariously twisted scenarios with fully immersive stories that blur the lines of reality, horror and comedy. As they navigate one unreal decision after another, audiences will laugh, jump and be left breathless for more.”

The original series ran for five seasons, with some hiatuses in between, from 2003 to 2013. The first season was hosted by the late Shannen Doherty, who was replaced by Stephen Baldwin midway through the second season. Tracy Morgan took over hosting duties in the third season. No host has yet been announced for the new version, though perhaps Morgan would still be up for it (he’s got a Monkeypaw connection through his series The Last O.G., which was co-created by Peele). “I was always a fan of it. I watched it. I love it,” he told The A.V. Club back in 2008. “And besides, they called my people and they asked me, would I do it? And I said, ‘Absolutely, yes.’ Cause I’m a big fan of The Twilight Zone, too, so I see that as running along the same lines. So this was my chance, my opportunity, to be like Rod Serling.” He added: “It’s funny. It’s fun to watch other people get frightened like that. It’s fun. It’s not happening to me. [Laughs.] I enjoy watching it. It’s great entertainment. It’s good TV.”

Back in 2020, there was a bit of legal trouble for the Scare Tactics team when creator Steve Hallock sued his co-creator Kevin Healey for creating a similar program on Netflix (Prank Encounters). Their lawsuit was apparently settled in 2023, but their creative partnership had dissolved long before that, with Hallock getting ownership of the brand. Hallock is now flying solo on the new show. “Reimagining Scare Tactics with Jordan, Monkeypaw and UTAS has been a dream come true,” Hallock said in a statement (via Variety). “Fans have been asking us to bring Scare Tactics back for years, and working with this team was an amazing opportunity. There’s no one better at horror and comedy than Jordan and Monkeypaw.”